Bottle cap



March 12, 1929. A. c. SPAHN 1,704,905

30mm: on

Filed June 14, 1924 fiuuiuuutn 27 g Patented Mar. 12, 1929. v

= v UNITED STATES.

. y 1,704,905 PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST CHAPIN SPAHN, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA," ASSIGNOR T0 IBERNARDIN BOTTLE CAP 00., OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

BOTTLE GAP.

Application filed June 14,

a which will act as a. seal until the bottle has reached the consumer,,so that he may know whether access has been had to the contents of the bottle before he purchases it.

With this object in View, one feature of the invention consists informing the skirt of the cap with an integral portion which normally serves to prevent the removal of p the cap from the bottle and which may betorn off so that the cap can thereafter be placed onto and removed from the bottle as necessary during consumption of the con tents.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the detailed description.

. cientstiffness to hold a disk 7 of cork or other suitable material, with suflicient firmness on the rim 8 of a bottle 9 to form'an airtight closure for the contents of the bottle. The cap comprises a top 6 and an integral skirt or dependingflange 10 integral with the top. The skirt is formed with indented portions 11 which are adapted to tangentially engage the annular incurved portion 12 on the bottle neck. There is suflicient spring in the .skirt to permit the cap, when held solely by these indented portions, to be forced off the bottle. The lower portions 13 of these indentations are inclined to spread the skirt 'inthe placement of the cap on the bottle when the cap is otherwise free,as it is during the period of consumption of the eontents of the bottle."

The skirt 10 of the cap is of suflicient lengthto extend below the indentations and to interlock with and extend under the rib' 12 of the bottle whichis disposed below the 1924. Serial No. 719,960.

indented portions of the cap. The lower margin of this skirt 10 is contracted or rolled inwardly,'as at 14, which is effected by a suitable machine to form a positive interlock between the cap and the bottle and vprevent the cap from being'removed until the locking portion of the skirt "has been removed. The cap thus far described exemplifies one which is 'rovided with means for positively locking tlie cap on the bottle until. it is removed, as hereinafter set forth, and with supplemental means, such as the indentations, for removably securing the cap on the bottle.

The skirt 10 of the cap is annularly scored on its inner face, as at 15, to make it possible to tear the locking portion 14 from the cap. To facilitate the removal of this portion, a hole 16 intersectsthe score 15 and a perforated tongue 17 is formed below said perfo ration. The skirt is also notched slightly, as at 18, so that when an ice-pick or, any other tool is inserted in the perforated tongue, the strip of metal below the score 15 may be first easily drawn betweenthe notch 18 and perforation 16. After this has been done, the strip of metal below the'score may be readily torn off until all ofthe holding portion 14-has been removed. Thereafter,

the remaining portion of the cap, which includes the skirt portion above the score 15, can be used as a removable closure for the bottle, the indentations 11 permitting it to be removed and replaced on the bottle and held thereon with sufiicient firmness for closure purposes during the consumption of the contents of the bottle. This exemplifies a cap which serves as a seal or as a lock to prevent the removal of the cap until the locking portion has been torn from the cap,

because vit'is impossible to remove the cap until this locking portion of the cap has been removed.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the skirt is provided with a screw or. helical thread 20, which is'adapted to be turned onto and off a corresponding I thread 21 on the bottle 9, in lieu of using the indented portions 11, as exemplified in Figs. 1 to 4. In all otherrespects, the cap, is similar to that already describe The invention exemplifies a bottle-cap, which is adapted to serve as a closure-for a bottle, which is provided with means to lock or seal the eapon the bottleand with means for removably securing the cap thereon, and in whlch the seahng or locking means 1s reimpossible for the contents to be tampered with without removing the sealing or locking portion, so that the ultimate purchaser can see whether or not the closure has been tampered with before he purchases the bottle with its contents.

The invention is simple 1n construction,

and makes it possible to produce these caps ata comparatively low cost. The cap is formed of a single piece of" metal. The removal of the sealing or locking strip at the proper point is facilitated by the formation described.

The invention is not to he understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended clainfs, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. c

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A one-piece bottle-cap of the character described comprising an integral top and skirt, the skirt being continuous circumferentially and provided at its lower end with an integral inturned flange to interlock with an annular projecting portion of the bottle,

' means on the skirt between the top and the flange to interfit with the bottle to removably clamp the cap thereon when the flange is removed, and means whereby the entire lower end of the cap with the flange may be torn igireeees I vided at its lowerend with an integral in-. "turned flange to interlock with an annular projecting portion of the bottle means on the skirt between the top and the flange to interfit with the bottle to removably clamp the cap thereon when the flange is removed, the skirt having an annular score between the interfit and the flange and extending.

substantially around the entire skirt, and

means whereby the cap may be torn across the flange to the score and the flange torn off-t0 render the remainder of the cap removable.

3. A one-piece bottle cap of the character described comprising an integral top and skirt, the skirt being provided at its lower end with an integral inturned flange to interlock with an annular projecting portion of the bottle, means on the skirt between the top and the flange to interfit withthe bottle to removably clamp the cap thereon when the flange is removed, the skirt having an i annular score between the interfit and the flange and a hole intersecting the score, and a tab below the flange whereby the skirt may be torn across the flange to the hole and then torn off at the score to render the remainder of the cap removable,

Signed at Evansville, Indiana, this 2nd day of June, 1924.

AUGUST CHAPIN SPAHN. 

